Accuracy Testing .223 Ammo

This was the 5 shot group from the PMC Bronze 55 gr FMJ-BT ammo and measured
5.01". The group averaged 2694 FPS with a 36.0 SD.

This was the 5 shot group from the Remington Premier 55 gr Accutip-V
ammo and measured 2.60". The group averaged 2846 FPS with a 33.1 SD.

This was the 5 shot group from the Corbon .223 Remington (5.56)
55 gr FMJ ammo and measured 1.50". The group averaged 2813 FPS with a 32.2
SD.

This was the 5 shot group from the Hornady .223 Remington 55 gr
FMJ-BT ammo and measured 1.11". The group averaged 2847 FPS with a 18.6
SD. This group wasn't bad at all. I could easily live with it
except that I can't afford to feed my EA-15 a constant diet of this stuff.

I saved the best group for last. This 5 shot group came from the
Fiocchi .223 Remington 50 gr V-MAX ammo and measured 0.78". The group
averaged 2784 FPS with a 39.5 SD. As is probably the dream of most AR-15
shooter's.....getting this kind of accuracy but with budget/bulk ammo.....what
more could you ask for? I was very glad to see that my EA-15 was able to
deliver a sub-MOA group.

Here is an easier to view table with the same data that appeared on the
previous pages. It should be noted that my EA-15 sports a 16" barrel.
The chronograph sky screens were placed 15' from the muzzle of the EA-15.
It is common for the factory to obtain their velocity data from barrels longer
than 16". As such, the reduced velocities I recorded are most likely
because of that.

Ammunition Brand and Type

Factory Vel.

Group

Velocity

Std. Dev.

$ per Round

LC 77 5.56mm M193 Military Ball

3250 FPS

5.18"

2971 FPS

35.0

-

Winchester 5.56mm 55 gr FMJ

3270 FPS

2.51"

2855 FPS

12.6

0.45

Remington (UMC) .223 Remington 55gr MC

-

2.27"

2865 FPS

15.3

0.36

PMC Bronze .223 Remington 55 gr FMJ-BT

3200 FPS

5.01"

2694 FPS

36.0

0.40

Remington Premier .223 Rem 55 gr Accutip-V

-

2.60"

2846 FPS

33.1

1.05

Corbon .223 Remington (5.56) 55 gr FMJ

3000 FPS

1.50"

2813 FPS

32.2

0.45

Hornady .223 Remington 55 gr FMJ-BT

3240 FPS

1.11"

2847 FPS

18.6

0.52

Fiocchi .223 Remington 50 gr V-MAX

3300 FPS

0.78"

2784 FPS

39.5

0.50

So what did I learn from all of this? Well, for one, I've determined that
I'm not making any short range plans to replace the barrel on my EA-15.
The fact that I had three groups out of the eight come in at 1.5" was good news.
The fact that one of them came in at nearly 3/4 MOA made me that much happier.
I've got some follow up testing to perform on these three rounds just to make
certain they weren't a fluke. I have hopes for the Remington UMC ammo as
this could be a viable round for me to use at Front Sight for an upcoming
Practical Rifle course I plan to take in 2010.

If you are a new shooter, I'm hoping this has given you a start at how you
might go about testing your own ammo for your rifle. Just because a
particular brand or weight of ammo works great in your buddy's rifle doesn't
mean it will do the same in yours.....even if you have the same model.
Also, the most expensive ammo is not always the most accurate ammo for your
rifle. The most expensive ammo will drain your shooting budget faster than
the cheap stuff, that is for sure. Hopefully you can find a reasonably
priced ammo that strikes a good balance between accuracy and cost.